It's all in the DETAILS...

I’m excited about a trip to Alaska. That’s always been my dream vacation destination. But there are several details about this trip that concern me.

First off, it appears it's going to be a while before we know actual details of flights and the logistics of getting to Seattle. I asked Dad if he knew when we fly out, the day the ship disembarks, or the day before. He had no idea. He gave me the number of the lady in West Virginia who is coordinating the trip and I called her to see if I could get some details.

It turns out, beyond what I can find out for myself on the cruise line’s website, there aren’t any more details to be had. The lady in WV is a go-between for another go-between, the booking agent who takes care of the business for the ship.

Now there is no way I’m getting a straight flight from Nashville to Seattle. One airline favors Dallas or Chicago for connecting flights, another goes for Detroit or Minneapolis/St. Paul. The shortest time I saw from Nashville to Seattle is 7 hours, and 9 hours was common. Even allowing for the time difference between here and Seattle, there’s not a lot of leeway between the time a flight could get to Seattle from Nashville, and when the ship is supposed to sail.

That makes me nervous. We’ve been on too many flights where the connection doesn’t connect. I asked if it would be possible to fly to Seattle the day before the ship leaves, stay overnight, then board the ship the next day. The answer is… who knows? The lady doing the actual coordination of flights is on vacation this week, so the lady who is coordinating between her and the group going from West Virginia can’t get in touch with her until next week. (If that sounds confusing, that's because it is.)

And the flight is just ONE of the details.

I don’t believe I care much for someone else doing the vacation planning. You have to sit around waiting on them to do their thing, accept their final say, and otherwise just go along for the ride. I’d much prefer to plan the ride myself.

Details! I want to know the details!